Online Reporter
Business Reporter
Zimbabwe recorded a monumental surge in foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2025, with inflows reaching an unprecedented US$965 million, according to the World Investment Report 2026 published by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
This represents a 61,7 percent increase compared to 2024, smashing previous records and signalling a dramatic turnaround in the nation’s investment landscape.
The 2025 figure of US$965 million stands in stark contrast to the US$597 million recorded in 2024. Zimbabwe recorded Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows of US$745 million in 2018, up from US$349 million the previous year.
This all-time high cements a remarkable growth trajectory for Zimbabwe, with inward FDI stock rising to US$8,4 billion in 2025, up from US$7,4 billion the previous year. FDI stock represents the total accumulated value of all foreign direct investment held in a country at a specific point in time.
However, the record-setting FDI comes against a mixed regional backdrop. While Zimbabwe’s performance outstrips that of regional peers such as Angola—which saw a more modest 10,4 percent increase—Southern Africa as a whole experienced a 12,1 percent uptick in FDI . It also stands in contrast to the continent-wide trend, where African FDI fell by 26,3 percent to US$69,5 billion in 2025 after an exceptional 2024 .
